Dick Vitale's Preseason Top 40

This came out a couple of weeks back but I thought I would tossed a basketball bone out there for folks to chew on.

UNC is the clear #1, not much argument there. As for the rest of the ACC, Vitale ranks them this way:

9. Duke
20. Virginia Tech
21. Miami
29. Wake Forest
32. Clemson

I think he is sleeping a bit too heavily on Wake. Good guard play makes or breaks you in college basketball and Wake has plenty of good in those spots. With some of the freshmen they have coming giving them a better presence on the interior I think Wake is the 3rd best team in the ACC and might give Duke a run for 2nd. Vitale is not buying Andy Katz’s assertion that Miami is a top ten team. Virginia Tech at 20 looks right to me. Duke still has the same issues as last season and they lost Demarcus Nelson. The incoming freshman are not necessarily going to ease the big man problem all that much. Still #9 is likely a good place to slot them.

Vitale is in love with the Big East having four teams in the top ten and seven in the top 25. The other team that sticks out is Davidson at #19. I am fairly certain that people are not accounting for the graduation of Jason Richards who was a key part of their NCAA run handling the point guard duties. Maybe Bob McKillop has a suitable replacement all lined up, we will see. I ultimately think since the surprise factor is gone and Stephen Curry needs a new wingman on the perimeter, Davidson is going to look more like a dominate Southern Conference team and little else.